SABA Toronto Board – 2019

President

Aarondeep Bains

Aaron Bains is an associate in the Corporate Finance practice group at Aird & Berlis LLP. Aaron has a broad corporate practice which includes mergers and acquisitions and debt and equity financings for start ups and small to medium sized enterprises. Aaron also assists the regulatory practice at Aird & Berlis LLP on radio and telecommunications and competition law matters. Aaron has a diverse academic background having studied political science and international relations at the University of British Columbia and Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), Canadian law at Queen’s University and international and European business law at Université Jean-Moulin-Lyon-III. He served on the Queen’s University Senate and various Faculty of Law and campus wide administrative committees.

Aaron is currently a member of the Ontario Bar Association Business Law Section and International Law Section executive committees. He also sits on the board of the Toronto branch of the Canadian International Council, a nearly century old organization dedicated to promoting a deeper understanding of international affairs. When Aaron is not working he is volunteering with the executive committee of the Breakfast of Champions in Support of Sick Kids charity to help fundraise for Toronto’s children’s hospital.

Vice President

Devin Persaud

Devin Persaud is an associate at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. He practices in corporate/commercial, competition, and foreign investment law. Devin obtained his law degree from the University of Ottawa where he was first introduced to SABA by winning their Student Recognition Award in 2013. During this time Devin was also a founding member of the University of Ottawa’s Business Law Clinic, and an executive of the Law Student Society.

Prior to law school, Devin received a Bachelor of Business Administration with Distinction, from the Schulich School of Business at York University, and proceeded to work in the consumer packaged goods industry. Devin is an advocate for diversity in the profession, and was part of the OBA working group on advocating for changes to racialized licensees. In addition, he is a founding member of MY ROOTS (Malvern Youth Recognizing Our Opportunities To Succeed).

Treasurer

Vibhu Sharma

Vibhu is a recent call to the bar in Ontario involved in social justice and refugee cases. She is also called to the bar in India where she was an associate with a leading law firm, spent a summer as a judicial trainee with a Supreme Court of India judge and worked on various human rights and environment protection issues. Thereafter, she moved to Singapore where she studied international and comparative law (LLM) and public policy (MPP) and worked with the Centre for International Law on international trade and investment law issues.

Vibhu is a Kathak dancer and a yoga teacher.

Secretary

Divya Khurana

Divya is a sole practitioner practicing in the area of criminal defence and human rights. She has previous litigation experience in both the civil and criminal context. Her current practice is broad, and includes complex adult trials as well as youth matters. She has experience appearing before various levels of Court as well as administrative tribunals.

Divya obtained her JD from the University of Ottawa. She also studied at Université Jean Moulin Lyon III where she focused on International law. As a law student, Divya was the elected common law Director for the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa. Prior to law school, Divya graduated from York University with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

In her spare time Divya enjoys volunteering in the community and currently sits on the Board for the Breakfast of Champions, a charity organization in support of SickKids Hospital

Director

Kelvin Ramchand

Kelvin Ramchand is Crown Counsel for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC). Along with a trial practice he has appeared in the Ontario Court of Appeal on a number of occasions. Kelvin is actively involved in the PPSC student program assisting with recruitment and mentorship. Kelvin received his law degree from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law and was called to the bar in 2015.

Prior to law school, Kelvin received an Honours B.A. in Criminology from York University. Kelvin has extensive experience working with youth and tackling various social justice issues including racial profiling as a Program Coordinator at a non-profit organization. In his spare time, Kelvin enjoys playing and watching sports (particularly baseball as he is an avid Blue Jays fan), watching movies and travelling.

Director

Sunira Chaudhri

Sunira is a litigator and partner at Levitt LLP. She practices employment law and represents both employer and employees with respect to wrongful terminations, constructive dismissals, partnership disputes and human rights issues. She has represented clients at various levels of court and the Human Rights Tribunal and Human Rights Commission.

Sunira attended Osgoode Hall Law School where she obtained her J.D. She is a weekly radio panelist on Newstalk 1010 and comments on employment issues, news and politics. Sunira also serves on the Board of Directors at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto where she focuses on community outreach and inclusivity initiatives for disability groups.

Director

Aman Patel

Aman S. Patel holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University, a Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University and a Masters of Laws from the New York University School of Law. He graduated first in his class in criminal law from Queen’s University and, upon his call to the Bar, the Law Society of Upper Canada awarded him the Law Society’s Second Prize. Aman has published articles in the fields of criminal law and civil remedies, and is a member of the Canadian Bar Association’s Governance Transition Task Force and the ADR Institute of Ontario’s Internship Committee.

After being called to the Bar, Aman commenced his legal career as a sole practitioner and concentrates on criminal law and related areas, appearing before tribunals and the courts of Ontario. He is experienced in representing individuals and corporations in a broad range of matters from cross-border complex fraud and commercial crime, to regulatory investigations and administrative discipline, to advocating for those affected by crime. Prior to law, he worked in the engineering field and was also involved in the running of a thriving family business in Toronto.

A firm believer that life is best enjoyed in giving, Aman enjoys volunteering his time in a wide variety of endeavours. Currently, he formally mentors young and aspiring lawyers and is Vice Chair of the Rights Advocacy Coalition for Equality. He previously chaired the Toronto Board of Trade’s Task Force on the Taxicab and Airport Livery Industry. Aman also volunteers his time with the Toronto Cricket Academy where he helps in the development and mentoring of junior cricketers.

An avid cricketer, Aman also loves to cook and his recipes have appeared in the Toronto Star and Toronto Life magazine.

Aman can be reached at aman@amanpatellaw.com.

Director

Ron Choudhury

Ron Choudhury has a multi-dimensional tax practice. He is among a handful of tax practitioners whose expertise includes both income tax and sales tax. Ron’s income tax practice focuses primarily on corporate tax, tax planning for high net-worth individuals, and executive compensation issues, while his sales tax practice is geared towards the real estate industry, charities and not-for-profits, and non-residents. Ron is the national Lead for the Sales Tax Specialty Group at Miller Thomson.

Ron advises on corporate tax matters including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, securitizations, and general corporate reorganizations. He has particular expertise in international inbound and outbound transactions, including treaty issues, the non-resident trust rules, and lending transactions.

Ron’s GST/HST practice includes advice regarding the real estate industry, not-for-profits and charities, exportation, importation and place of supply, GST/HST aspects of corporate transactions, the direct-selling industry, and compliance issues faced by non-residents doing business in Canada.

A founding member and past President of the South Asian Bar Association, Ron is active in the general Indo-Canadian community as well as the South Asian legal community. He received the 2016 Cornerstone Award from the South Asian Bar Association—North America, won a scholarship from the International Bar Association, and was a Member of the Year of the Indo- Canada Chamber of Commerce (awarded to the Young Professionals’ Committee chaired by him).

Director

Rahat Godil

Rahat Godil is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. She has a diverse practice that includes complex commercial litigation and arbitrations, class actions and constitutional litigation. She has acted for clients in a number of industries, including telecommunications, banking, natural resources, power, mining, financial services, and manufacturers of food, drugs and consumer products.

Rahat has appeared as counsel at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. Rahat also has extensive commercial arbitration experience that includes both international and domestic institutional and ad hoc arbitrations. She has represented clients before sole arbitrators as well three-member tribunals, including tribunals formed under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce and the American Arbitration Association’s International Centre for Dispute Resolution.

Rahat is currently an Executive Committee member and Co-Chair of the Education Committee of the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society. She is also Co-Chair of The Advocates Society’s Arbitration and Mediation Practice Group. Rahat is committed to pro bono work and has volunteered with Pro Bono Law Ontario’s court projects as well as provided pro bono advice and representation to organizations like the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Dignitas International and The Equality Effect.

Director

Amandeep Dhillon

Amandeep Dhillon specializes in the area of civil and corporate/commercial litigation, including matters of breach of contract, shareholder and partnership disputes and oppression matters, defamation, negligence, construction and real estate litigation and civil and commercial fraud. Prior to joining Kramer Simaan Dhillon LLP, Amandeep was the principal of Dhillon Litigation, a litigation boutique focusing extensively on civil and commercial litigation.

A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, Amandeep’s practice leads him to frequently appear before the Superior Court of Justice, the Court of Appeal and various administrative boards and tribunals. In addition, Amandeep has extensive experience in the area of Alternative Dispute Resolution and has conducted several successful mediations and arbitrations for his clients. Amandeep is a trusted advisor for his business clients and has developed a reputation among his clients and colleagues as a tough and aggressive litigator that takes a strategic and creative approach to resolving legal disputes.

Director

Richa Sandill

Richa Sandill is an Associate Lawyer at MacDonald & Associates, a boutique employment law firm in Toronto specializing in Canadian Employment Law services for both employers and employees.

Richa has a broad ranging employment law practice, with a particular emphasis and expertise in advising clients on human rights, discrimination, and workplace harassment matters. Richa is a passionate advocate for her clients, and has appeared before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. She has written or been quoted on human rights topics in publications such as the Canadian HR Reporter, the Huffington Post, the Ontario Bar Association’s JUST Magazine, and the Globe & Mail.

Richa is also an extremely active member of the legal profession. She serves as Secretary for the Women Lawyers Forum, and the Constitutional, Civil Liberties, and Human Rights sections of the Ontario Bar Association. This year marks her fourth consecutive term on each of these committees. Additionally, in August 2017, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the South Asian Bar Association.

Director of Communications

Jasmine K. Singh

Jasmine Singh practices in the area of Capital Markets with a focus on Derivative Transactions. She is currently Legal Counsel for BMO Financial Group.

Jasmine holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Business and Society from York University and a Juris Doctor from Bond University. After being called to the bar, she commenced her legal career as corporate counsel for George Weston Limited. Jasmine has experience in a broad range of practice areas from securities, to labour and employment, litigation and corporate governance. Jasmine is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the profession.

Director

Ashok Menen

Ashok Menen is an Investigation Counsel in the Enforcement Branch of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC). Ashok is both a lawyer and a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA). Ashok serves a dual role at the OSC, advising on enforcement matters with an interjurisdictional component and as legal counsel to the Office of the Whistleblower. He also represents the OSC at the International Organization of Securities Commissions, on committees dealing with enforcement and the exchange of information and in screening applications for jurisdictions seeking to accede to various multilateral agreements.

Prior to joining the OSC, Ashok worked as a forensic accountant at a Big Four accounting firm and at a global forensic accounting boutique.

Director

Sona Advani

Sona Advani is the Acting Legal Director at the Civil Remedies for Illicit Activities Office with the Ministry of the Attorney General. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Crown Attorney with the Downtown Toronto office for 15 years, and has prosecuted a variety of offences under the Criminal Code of Canada.

She has been significantly involved with the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto (SABA) and its important initiatives for many years.

In her spare time, Sona teaches at different advocacy programmes, volunteers with the Canadian Cancer Society and mentors junior lawyers.